It Happened on Vashon

My Vashon Island life, chronicled on and off since 2006. Family, friends, travel, open water swimming, chickens, honeybees, foraging, growing stuff, practicing PR. A very good life in a beautiful Pacific NW setting.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The Mushroom Migrant Workers of WA

Somebody tell me about this.

We had a weird exchange when we went to see what the Hoquiam street side “mushroom buyer” was all about on our trip to the coast.

What it looked like to me was total migrant worker under-the-radar organized labor. This parking lot of an econo hotel revealed a line of a dozenish caramel skinned men straight out of the forest, muck boots and all, with gobs of chanterelles at their feet in plastic crates. A white trash man in his 50s was on the opposite side of a fold out table, which fronted a ground floor hotel room with an open door, and he was weighing the mushies and cashing out the guys.

In the lot were old vans packed with Latin Americans, who got very skittish when david and I walked up. Some of them jammed out of the lot at the sight of our blue eyes and absence of mushroom boxes.

David tried to engage a seller in espanol conversation and he was totally snubbed—out of fear, I think. Some of them might actually be Peruvian or Guatemalan and speak something else (ie the indigenous Mayan language “Mam”) Also in the lot was a big refrigerated cargo truck, engine running, waiting to load the bounty and haul it to market. It had Oregon plates. The whole thing was dirty to me cuz you know they’ll end up at grocery and it is total exploitation.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Introducing Mrs. Skrzypek

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Red Crotch Saga

This isn't as gross as you THINK it's gonna be.

Elsa hosted a farewell bash at Cove Beach. It was originally gonna be a "back from Doe Bay" kinda bash, but then, well, she's moving. She, Me, and Megan Hayes all share in common that we lived in Cove Apartment numero quattro.

On this recent "sunset Saturday" people came, wine flowed, a bonfire crackled and all was jovial. Elsa was holding court by the fire, confidently standing and joking around when my eyes caught a blazing red spot of color in the sweet spot of her cutoffs. I nearly died.

My female body blocking instincts kicked in and I steamrolled straight into her, hurling her off the bulkhead into the high tide-risen water! Just kidding. I didn't do that. But I thought about doing that.

Instead I said, "hey Elsa, let me show you something really quick"....and then threw my arm around her, hush-hushying as we walked toward the apartment. Which is when she informed me what I actually was looking at was a swath of bright red fabric used to patch up the gaping hole in her short's crotch!

Whoops. I got a good laugh out of that one.

Seriously, if ever you saw a booger in my nose, or I'd tucked the back of my skirt into my tights, or a fly was open, or you're seeing red....I sincerely would want you to have my back. I had Elsa's, but unwittingly so.

About Me

North End Vashon Islander and mom to two awesome young men. Blissfully married to David, the multi-talented avenger. Making my own living, not spending other people's money. Living on Vashon Island, pop 10,000, land of lawyers, naturalists, artists, foodies, and so many backstories. Wanna read some?